So, at the request of our hostess, I will answer this week’s writing prompt in two ways—both fact and fiction. This week’s prompt:

Write about a phobia that you have.

Right. So, very few of you know me in person. (Those of you that do; this is not an invitation to put the author in a box.) But my biggest phobia:

I am very claustrophobic. Enclosed, crowded spaces cause panic attacks. So there you go. A quick announcement: The Facebook Live event on Wednesday has been moved to 8 pm. I apologize! A work conflict with my 9-5 arose. On to the fiction.

His beloved was frightened of the gift that ran through her blood. That blood mingled with the realm’s lifeblood for generations. Nicholas knew where she was and who accompanied her. He sent Dominic himself after he explained Alexandra’s situation. Dominic assured him he could help. Could he teach her to be comfortable in her own skin again? Nicholas feared he would lose her to this. Fate had come between them too many times before.

He sat in their chambers and eavesdropped on her conversation with Dominic. His Alexandra would have expected him to be a silent specter in her head. His presence was allowed, he understood that. Her trust in him radiated from that single action. Marcus was the only other presence she allowed in her head on a regular basis.

His frustration was clear as he felt her struggle. Dominic could be more brutal than he in terms of teaching. Dominic did not have a lifetime of teachers at his disposal as Nicholas did. The Deveraux were never called to educate, to guide. He almost interceded until her laughter touched his ears. When was the last time he heard her laugh? Nicholas’ lips thinned to a thoughtful line.

His gaze drifted to the little form huddled beneath a pile of blankets in their bed. She came in not long after her mother left. A ghost of a smile that echoed his beloved’s crossed his features. Kira was one of the few beautiful legacies he would leave. Their child was bright, apt and he swore before Fate he would do what he must to give her a more peaceful world than the one she was born into. Though they never told her, he suspected she knew her father. Both he and Alexandra agreed to keep his identity quiet until Kira was old enough to understand both his sins and his redemption. The child never questioned his presence in her mother’s chambers.

Nicholas straightened when he felt Alexandra pull on her element. His gaze was locked on the hearth as he felt her emotions swell. He felt her heart and mind panic. Nicholas feared for her as he did each morning she attempted this exercise. Light damn it! He felt so helpless. Shock rippled across his features as he felt her terror subside and the draw continued. Hope blossomed in his heart as he felt that draw strengthen and Dominic’s words drifted through his head. “When Fate presents you with a challenge, you survive and overcome. That is your nature, Alexandra Jade. That is your gift.”

Nicholas smiled and murmured. “Thank you, my friend.” A soft chuckle crossed his lips his best friend’s response. It’s nice to be the teacher for a change. Nicholas felt the tone change in Dominic’s next thoughts. Without her there would be no Light. You brought her home. I can teach her to survive what Fate chose for her. With that, Dominic silenced and focused on his charge. Another glance at the bed told Nicholas Kira was as much a bed hog as her mother.

Nicholas mentally pulled the blankets up over his daughter and settled in for a long night by the fire. She would come home, indeed.